She Quit Her CMO Job to Build a Happier Life: Dani Cee’s Bold Second Act Career Pivot | #223

Ready to trade burnout for a life that actually fits? In this empowering episode, Shannon Russell talks with Dani Cee, a former Chief Marketing Officer who walked away from a 20-year corporate career to launch the Happy Life Agenda and work as an empowerment consultant. Dani shares the moment she knew the 9–5 was costing her everything, how journaling, faith, and clarity guided her exit, and the simple pillars she now uses to help women design a happier second-act career. If you’re a working mom craving work–life balance, purpose, and flexibility, this conversation is your roadmap to a smart, values-aligned career change.

Key Takeaways:

• Career Change After Burnout: Why Dani left a high-pressure marketing leadership/CMO role to become an entrepreneur.
• Happy Life Agenda Framework: The four pillars—openness, clarity, connection, purpose—for designing a life and business you love.
• Practical Exit Steps: How journaling, devotion/meditation, and networking coffee chats created clarity before resigning.
• Working Mom Priorities: Building a business that supports family time, presence, and flexibility (without losing income goals).
• Avoid the Shiny-Object Trap: Validate ideas so you don’t recreate the same misery in a new job or business.
• Faith & Mindset: Using stillness to make bold decisions—and allowing space for the grief that can follow a big career pivot.
• What’s Next: Local workshops and events with built-in childcare so moms can learn, connect, and grow.

SHOW NOTES:

https://secondactsuccess.co/223

Connect with Dani Cee:

https://happylifeagenda.com/

https://happylifeagenda.com/podcasts/

https://www.instagram.com/happylifeagenda/

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Transcript

Second Act Success Career Podcast

Season 1 - She Quit Her CMO Job to Build a Happier Life: Dani Cee’s Bold Second Act Career Pivot | #223

Episode - #223

Host: Shannon Russell

Guest: Dani Cee Tworek

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

Dani Cee: [00:00:00] I had climbed the corporate ladder. It had been my goal, that was my dream job. what I recognized is that it, it made me give up everything else. 

Speaker 2: Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second Act Success podcast. I am your host Shannon Russell, and my mission is to help you produce your best life. This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up.

Let's get started.

Hey, it's Shannon. Welcome back to Second Act, success. On this episode, I am chatting with Danielle, Dani Cee Tworek. Earlier this year, Dani left her corporate job in marketing. After 20 years, she decided she had had enough and she was ready to embark on building a happy life for herself.

She now [00:01:00] works as an empowerment consultant and she's the founder of the Happy Life Agenda. 

In this conversation, you will see that Danni gets really real and she talks about the funk she was feeling and how she would get out of bed every day dreading going to work, she shares some steps that she took to actually get out of that funk and get that clarity. She needed to figure out that it was time to quit her nine to five and create a business of her own.

This is my conversation with Dani Cee.

Shannon Russell: Dani, welcome to the second act success.

I'm so happy to have you here and have this conversation. 

Dani Cee: Hey Shannon. Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be here. 

Shannon Russell: It was so nice to get introduced by our mutual friend Tanya, just to hear that you're a podcaster, you're on your journey for the second act. And I wanna hear though, where your first act began.

So where 

 career began in New York City.

Dani Cee: I was working for Equinox Fitness Clubs and that's kind of where I fell in love with the fitness industry and wellness. worked my way up to operations [00:02:00] manager, um, for one of their locations. I was only 22 at the time and it was, it's really tough being, um, from Texas moving to New York and just, you know, kind of trying to find your way.

So I came back home and I went to work on a cruise ship, um, really as a server. So I, yeah, so I really just kind of like took a break from like, living in New York City, I acquired a lot of debt and that's where I ended up meeting my husband, who was also a, on the cruise ship. when we came back, we kind of started our life together and then that's where my climb on the corporate ladder began.

, I started working in marketing as a content writer for a group of physicians. And I stayed in that integrative medicine physician space and just worked my way up to marketing. And what I've most recently left was, , being chief marketing officer for, , a network of integrative medicine.

Practitioners who do hormone therapy, peptide therapy, all of that type of stuff. And what led me to my second act here, , is that, um, I wanna spend more time with my daughter and my family. I, I waited 10 years to have my, my baby girl. And so I was missing out on too much of her [00:03:00] life. And so that's what led me to my second act.

Oh, and how old is she now? She's seven. Um, and she's very vocal about me spending time with her, so I, I'm grateful for that. 

Shannon Russell: You're right, like climbing that ladder and achieving, you know, the height of that at that corporation. There can be burnout. There can be. Okay. Well.

I'm working so much, how am I going to be that mom I want to be? And that's where I was when I decided to shift out of television into owning my own business so I could have that flexibility. So when did those thoughts, I'm assuming, start creeping into your head that, Hey, I don't know how I'm gonna balance all of this.

Dani Cee: Yeah, that's a great question. I think I can remember it distinctly March in 2024. Is when it really started to kind of be like, oh my gosh, you know, what am I doing here? What am I doing with my life? But, um. Earlier in that journey, um, for probably almost a year and a half, is we had a leadership consultant at our, our work and he talked to us about, you know, identity and purpose.

Those thoughts and that [00:04:00] openness to that possibility had started to kind of fester my mindset to speak. And so it just really started to culminate in March of 2024. And that's when I started journaling. And it's amazing what can happen when you journal. And just put your thoughts out there, not thinking, not expecting anyone to ever see them.

Right. Um, because it's, it's almost freeing, right? And so, um, by September of 2024, I knew I needed to do something different. And you know, that mantra started with who am I on this earth and what am I doing here on this circle is my purpose.

, I had climbed the corporate ladder. It had been my goal, that was my dream job. what I recognized is that it, it made me give up everything else. And I think part of that is because as a society, we ask women to step into the workforce and we don't say. Come as a woman and come with all the things that you can do and the broad vision that you have for people's feelings and empathy and being able to see everything that's going on in the room and care about the revenue.

In the bottom line. It's like check your problems at the door. Have tunnel vision. It's just about the work. And it's like, but I got a dance schedules and I got lunch just to be made and [00:05:00] dinner's to plan, and parents that are aging and women still take on all of that.

So all of that kind of just like started going, oh my gosh, I, I don't think I can do this and be who I am and what I'm, I'm put on earth to do. In September I, I really started pushing to like, okay, what's the next step? And By March I had left my, my job March of 25. 

Shannon Russell: But that's, I, I applaud that because you were figuring it out. You were having those conversations with yourself through journaling to say, why am I here? What is my purpose in my life? Like What is next? And I think that's a great question to ask and we don't all do that.

I think a lot of times we just are staying on that course that we set out to stay on and don't ask ourselves. What else is there? 

Dani Cee: Oh my gosh. You're absolutely right. You know, I really can remember having conversations with my mom and the movie that stands out in my mind is Nicholas Cage, the Family Man, because they show that dynamic where he like, you know, has this family life, but it's like, you know, they make it poor and uncomfortable and then they show his work life where he's got the Ferrari and all the the great things.[00:06:00] 

And I was like, why would anybody want that when they can have the glitz and glamor of being, you know, at the head of a company, but. The trade off. And I don't think as a 20 something, I realized that is so significant and the richness of what you get from family and friends. And then to even question what purpose is because as a 20 something, my purpose looked like making money and climbing a ladder.

Yep. And not really pouring into the people that are around me. And you know, God put me on this earth I know now to help others be empowered to live the life that they wanna live. But. I can see places now in the past where that mission and that purpose was being told to me and I just kept brushing it off.

Shannon Russell: I lived the same life as you living in New York and LA and you know, it's the money, it's the latter. It's the fun of being single and being able to do that. And then I think when you do have kids, or at least for me, it changed that whole outlook I was always extremely close with my family and my extended family, but I was off [00:07:00] living this life and not being present with them and having kids made me want to get back closer to that other side of the family man, like you're talking about, and just have those Sunday night dinners and just have that more traditional life than living the glitz and glam.

Did you experience a lot of that? 

Dani Cee: Yeah. I love that you said the word presence because that was probably the biggest thing when I woke up every morning and it was just like, where did the day go? And my daughter's already seven. I am missing all of these moments because I was always constantly planning and thinking for the next thing, the next thing, the next thing.

And I was never like enjoying those moments. And so that slowdown, which lemme tell you, I'm a type A go as fast and as hard as you can at anything. Mm-hmm. I'm sure you sounds like you're as well. It is like, okay, what, wait, what does slow down mean? And you know, and it's not just this vacation mindset, it's.

To figure that out in the confines, confines of life is hard, but it really means like I'm putting away my phone and [00:08:00] at this moment in time I'm playing Barbies with my daughter and I'm not thinking about what I'm cooking for dinner or,, where she has to be next, or that, you know, she isn't, her outfit doesn't match whatever it is.

Mm-hmm. It's, I'm gonna play Barbies. Not being able to play, which is something I was really terrible at, still working on, is one of the things we let go of that creativity to just go, go, go, go, go to the next thing. Yeah. And, and kids teach us that. You know, we 

Shannon Russell: do. It's like they bring us back to who we originally were and you know, show us that there's more to life than that corporate ladder that we keep talking about.

And for you, I was reading about how you were in a funk every morning. What exercise did you do to get out of that funk? Was it your journaling? 

Dani Cee: It started with journaling. 'cause I always working, I always work out in the mornings, so you would think that that would get me outta my funk.

But no, it was just another thing to do on the checklist. Yeah. Um, and so I started with journaling and then, you know, part of my journey has been coming back to God. don't know, this is probably like, an unpopular opinion, but I was, I grew up. [00:09:00] A world where, you know, everything was defined by religion and, you know, it was about being perfect and about being good, and that was what your relationship with God and the church were.

And so when I started meeting with this leadership consultant and he said, you know, it's, it's not really about the religion. In fact, just, just put that away over there and just what's your direct relationship with God? And so that brought me back to having devotionals. And I found this little book that's like three minute devotionals and having just that direct conversation with God and.

Opening up that channel. However, again, whatever you believe, and that listening and the stillness and seeing what the Bible had for me and what the silence, um, what God would say in the silence transforms everything. And so now my morning routines include devotion, um, meditation, which is, you know, the, what I say, the listening and the stillness shutting your mind down is hard.

Shannon Russell: Oh my gosh. Yeah. And then I, I feel like when you're in that moment of indecision or where you feel like things aren't aligned, it's easy to see that shiny object and just jump towards it. [00:10:00] Yes. And I often say to my clients, you don't want to jump towards that without really doing your research because you could end up being in the same miserable position, just in a new role or in a new business or at a new job.

So it really is that stillness where we talk to ourselves and we say, am I happy? What should I be doing? What would make me feel joy and fulfillment? That's really what you've leaned into since you left your job is building the happy life agenda and all about your business and what you're really doing with that project.

Dani Cee: Absolutely. So, um, I like something that you said there is like, you know, that, that listening and that leaning in, it would, it's, so to me there's four pillars to get to the Happy Life agenda and the first one is openness. , This leadership consultant, he said to me, he. Later after I'd, um, kind of gone on my journey is that my personality type is the toughest to crack because we firmly believe that we are doing all the things that we are supposed to be doing, and that we are open to other people's ideas because we're, we're able to, to take stuff [00:11:00] and make it happen.

But truly we still take it from our own perspectives and we don't try to put the shoe on the other foot. And so, um. Being open was probably the, the number one thing. It's, it's now become one of the pillars of the Happy Life agenda. And if you think you're open and things aren't really happening, try really stepping outside your comfort zone into some things, and that's what creates that openness.

So for me, starting a podcast was one of those things. , I would consider myself an introvert. A lot of people don't believe me. But, um, I am, and so being on camera and being, you know, opening myself up to put everything out there and what's gonna happen, um, was one, but then also saying yes to coffee dates.

I would have people introduce me to somebody and in my past life, I would just be like, okay, yeah, let's go get coffee. I never really make it happen, happen. Now, I always said yes, and sometimes I would, most of the time I would step into those and not even know why the person introduced us or exactly what we had in common we're gonna talk about.

And that stepping to that discomfort and going on those [00:12:00] coffee, uh, quote unquote dates. I met so many cool people. I had so many amazing conversations. Not one single one was a waste of time. And all of them, first of all, I, I was open, so then I connected with them on a new level, and then I got clarity towards something that I was working on.

In the beginning space, it was what's my next career move? But ultimately, you know, what does it mean for the Happy Life agenda? What does it mean for what I'm supposed to be doing with my life? I think that you can apply this with all the pillars of life. So if you aren't sleeping well, if you aren't exercising or you wanna be healthier, and we have to go through these, these cycles on all of those in order to form that life, that's the best for us.

And then to continue to, to live our, our purpose and our our missions. And so, um, I got clarity from each of those. Pieces and all of those people, you know, if they're listening to this and it's, they were so instrumental, even if it was just a sentence in that conversation. Yeah. So 

Shannon Russell: I think you probably impacted them in a similar way, you know, with something that you said.

So for them, they're getting something out of that [00:13:00] conversation in that coffee date as well. 

Dani Cee: Oh my God, that's what's been so much fun about this, is it's really become this like generosity model where everyone is connecting, they're finding clarity, they're we're, you know, we're on a journey towards abundance and the things that we wanna do.

And yeah, I mean, I've had people come back to me and say, how, you know, oh my God, this thing that you said, it, it help me make a decision over here at the same time I'm coming back and saying that to them. And it's, it's heartwarming. It's so fun. you know, I've missed so much. Being, getting to 45 and not claiming this sooner.

Shannon Russell: Well, let's talk about your decision to say, I quit to leave your job. What was your mindset getting into that point where you're like, okay, this is it. I'm finally ready to make the move. Did you know what you were going to build before you said that with Happy Life agenda, or were you just saying, this is my time, I'm gonna figure out what I'm doing afterwards?

Dani Cee: Ooh, this is a fun conversation. So, um, yeah, it was, that was really scary. I was working somewhere [00:14:00] that like, not only did I feel like it wasn't my purpose anymore, but a lot had changed in the company to where I didn't feel like I could come to work every day and look my team in the eyes, um, just for some of the things that were going on.

That was really like weighing on me and I was like, I have, I have to leave. I have to, and so my husband and I had a conversation about what we could handle if I just walked away, um, after a 30 day notice. That was the big, scary thing that we did. And I did not know what my business was going to be.

So we just, we, we took a leap of faith and we looked at our finances and everything and said, okay, here's what, what we can do, what we have the runway for. We've had scar more scarier moments than,, we thought we would. Mm-hmm. Um, but because it's led by faith. There's, there's a lot of, there's, you know, small miracles along the way.

And at the time, and it sounds crazy to say this now, my husband was like, well, what are you doing? And I'm like, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna sell happiness, you know? And it's like, it sounds ridiculous, but all I knew is that I was waking up every [00:15:00] morning and writing about happiness. I started a podcast and it was doing really well outta the gate.

I was just meeting all of these people who like, I, I want a happier life. I want a happier life. And so, um, now it's evolved to something that, I can say is, is a career and a job. Yeah. But, um, at the time it was scary. So my advice to anyone who's, , especially when push comes to shove and you've gotta leave especially in this job market, really think through what your fallback is and spend time with the people that are gonna be affected by that. But also protect your peace and, and know that like if you have to, to get out, , just have a lot of faith and, and never give up and get scared.

'cause that's, that pit in your stomach will try to keep you from getting outta bed. but push 

Shannon Russell: past it. it's true. And I think there's two frames of thought because you can make that leap. Leave. Say I quit and I'm gonna figure it out. And then you can sit on the couch for six months. And feel that grief of leaving and feel that mixed emotion.

Or you can say, alright, I'm gonna build a happier me and I'm gonna go for it [00:16:00] and I'm gonna figure out how to make this work and really start the hustling sounds like that's what you did because you knew you needed to bring income into your family and support your daughter, but also find something that brought you joy 

Dani Cee: On that note about the grief and sitting on the couch, I think that you need to build in space for that. Mm. Because I didn't realize how much was inside of me for pushing that hard for, you know, it was a 15 year, 20 year career. Yeah. And I slept for 12 hours a day.

We went on a spring bake. Spring break. Vacation was planned before. And I, I slept for like 12 hours a day of that vacation for the rain, fortunately for me. I thought that was crazy. And even my husband was like, are you okay? But I, I didn't know, like all of the grief for letting go of what I thought was my dream job, completely shifting who I am and all that that comes with that.

And so I think being prepared that that's gonna happen and saying it's okay for it to happen. No one can really prepare you for it, but you allow yourself to have the emotions and, and make space for that. 

Shannon Russell: You [00:17:00] started the podcast, happy Life Agenda podcast.

Mm-hmm. And you saw some success. You saw you were really connecting with listeners. How did you decide how to create kind of this new career path for yourself after that? And what did that look like? 

Dani Cee: The clarity piece. So that's one of the other pillars is openness.

Then comes clarity, and clarity and connection are the two that like kind of, you just keep going through them in circles and I kept aiming for clarity in things and like. A lot of things were pushing me towards like life coaching, career coaching, but it never felt right and I wasn't, I wasn't seeing any success in that.

And it's, 'cause that's never, I don't know, it just isn't my personality. I'm not sure what it is. It's just not me. And so, um, I kept pushing on that for at least. A month, month and a half. And one of my friends told me, you're supposed to be in marketing. And I'm like, no. I was so angry and hurt.

I was like, I'm not, I'm not touching marketing again. I'm not gonna do it. When I started to try to plan a women's retreat, everyone that I was recruiting to like do the workshops and be [00:18:00] part of the retreat. Their biggest gap was marketing. instead of getting people that were gonna help me market, I was building all of their marketing for them as I was trying to build the retreat.

And I realized, Oh my gosh. I am supposed to be in marketing, and once I hit on that, like it's been, it's just been like lightning speed. And it's so funny because I, I had to go back and say like, to my friend.

Yeah, you were right. He goes, I told you so. And I was like, I had to go through the hurt, the anger, the grief. 

Shannon Russell: Yes, exactly. And you're not doing marketing for a big corporate company and you know, maybe marketing things that don't align with you, you are now helping other entrepreneurs. Is that right? Like who exactly are your clients now?

Dani Cee: Yeah, so it did kind of start out that way as like a friend was looking to scale her, her small business. So I worked with her, you know, as a, a fun thing to help out. And then, um, when I, when I started planning the retreat, I realized that, you know.

On my podcast like you, I like interview experts and people who are coaches, who are speakers, who are authors. And I have so [00:19:00] much fun just hearing what they can teach us. And so I was like, that's what I'm supposed to do, is I continue to create a, create a marketing channel to connect these individuals with the people who need them most, but help them get the word out and build a strong brand.

And so that is now my clientele, but. You know, I still have some that I, you know, that these friends that I was helping scale their business and, um, I mean, one's like a, a waxing salon, um, another one I said the digital marketing agency. But when you look at, at the core of their business and how they became successful is that these are people who, at the core of their business, they value humanity.

They have strong values and purpose and mission and making people feel good. And that's sounds funny with the waxing, but I was writing a bio for her, , a news article. And she talks about, you know, how and why she started the business, and literally every client that sees her says like, I forget that I'm being waxed and you're paying for pain, which.

Yeah, you're, and so when people were saying that, and then that is at the core of our business and we're starting to hire and train people and try to make sure that [00:20:00] that's their core values. I was like, oh my gosh, this is it. No matter what your business is, if that's your core, I wanna help you market.

And I think there's opportunity for us to connect you with the people that need you most. Um, because if, if you're a woman on this type of journey, do you want to go to a waxing salon that also makes you feel good? And you might walk away with like. New confidence, a great conversation, some of that clarity.

So those are my clients. 

Shannon Russell: Absolutely. I would assume this is very cathartic for you as well, because now you're surrounding yourself with women who are putting good into the world, who are happy building their businesses, and that's what you get to support and that is the road that you wanna be on in creating this happy life.

Dani Cee: Yes, yes. You're you're absolutely right. It's so funny, as, you know, when they say there was a, a thing in one of the books that I read, um, and they talked about, you know, the time expansion and getting into flow and all of that type of stuff. That wasn't happening for a long time. And I kept like, why isn't this happening for me?

Yeah. And now that I'm working on it like this with people and missions that I believe in, like, it's just like things are just flowing. Time is, it's. It's so fun. It's so [00:21:00] awesome. 

Shannon Russell: right. And you think back to a year ago, because your pivot was really just within the last six months, if you think about it.

So for you think back to a year ago and where you were in your career, how you were feeling on a day-to-day basis compared to now, and what is that juxtaposition? 

Dani Cee: Oh my gosh, it's night and day. And actually it's so funny that, that you say that because I, I've been thinking about that a lot lately. , There's a weight that was sitting on me all the time and I, and I used to, like, I, I talk a lot, a lot about this with my audiences.

Like, you know, I had anxiety and I didn't even know I had anxiety, but I would get really hot and I would grind my teeth and, um, my heart would race and I would have this often throughout a day. And now I don't have that anymore because as part of this journey, I let go of all the things that I was trying to control.

They were giving me that, and I opened myself up to let hearing other people's opinions and ideas, you know, seeing where those fit in [00:22:00] and, and just not trying to, to control everything in my life. And also not try to, you know. Be and perform and drive for other people, because that was at the, the heart of it.

Yeah. My bosses, my parents, everything. And that whole, going back to the religion, you've gotta be perfect. This is what the Bible says. And so I was like, all right, well, what does perfect look like? There is no definition that who's, who's to say what perfect is. Right. 

Shannon Russell: Right, right. It's different for everyone.

Dani Cee: But society writes these rules, right? I know. 

Shannon Russell: We don't have to follow them. We're building lives that are perfect for us now at this stage. Exactly. And I think that's the most important. So I'd love to know what are some of the tips listeners can take away from this conversation and create or start to create their Happy Life agenda?

Dani Cee: As I said, I have four pillars that I kind of like say that you rotate through four facets of your life. So it's openness, clarity, connection, and then purpose. And purpose. I kind of. It's, that's the big one. What is my purpose in life? And apply it to everything. But I think we all are assigned small missions, [00:23:00] and so I'll like my career figuring out what my purpose is and then what's the mission?

It's to help others. With their marketing and their branding. , I talked about sleep earlier and fitness is, you know, I had to go through the, those pillars, um, a couple of times for each of those. Sleep was something that never has come easy for me. I, I'm almost mad sometimes 'cause I sleep eight, eight solid hours a night now, and I to be like a five, six hour.

And I like that extra time, but I feel well rested during the day, so that's nice. But, you know, I had to go through like, okay, I have to be open to the other ideas on what's possible for sleep. And you know, the biggest one is stop stopping the ruminating and the anxiety. And then, you know, I, I listened to Dr.

Matt Walker and he says, you know, the first thing you shouldn't reach for is the magnesium and the melatonin. It's like creating that calming bedtime routine, trying to stay within a certain, uh, window of waking up and, and going to sleep. And, you know, we see that as rigid and controlling, right? 'cause that was something that I had to backpedal from.

[00:24:00] But no, it's setting my boundaries for what I need so that I can take care of all of the people around me. so when you're, you know, knowing that you're gonna have to move up and down those pillars several times in each of the things that you pursue, um, and that things are gonna shift, like for moms.

The school year brings one thing and summertime brings another thing. And so being okay with the constant shifts and evaluating what you need in those moments, being flexible for that, but also setting strong boundaries to take care of yourself and take care of others. Because as women, we don't wanna put our oxygen mask on first.

You know, the whole flight attendant thing. Yeah. We want to do everything for everyone. And you don't wanna get to 45 or 75 what, whatever, and be like, oh my God, where did my life go? And I don't have anything that I want. So I, my advice is, is like start climbing the, this, you know, these across these pillars and, and finding your happy life and it's okay.

And you're allowed to do it. 

Shannon Russell: Dani, yes. I always try to say we're worthy of it and we always feel like we put everybody else first, but you don't wanna wake up at 75 [00:25:00] and say what happened and have these regrets. So now is the time to take that action and build that happy life. , Whatever it looks like for you, whatever that perfect life is, you know, for you to build it now.

And I think that's really what you're helping people with, with your work, with your podcast, with this whole movement you're trying to bring out there to everyone. so fantastic. 

Dani Cee: Thank you. Yes. And as you know, the same for you is like. Reading all of your stuff, like I just love what you're doing because I think when I started this journey, it's, that's at the crux of a lot of it is like, we know as women we wanna support, but what does that look like?

And it's not what society has always told us that it looks like. Right. Yeah. 

Shannon Russell: Do you think you're living that happy life right now that you have always kind of wanted deep down. 

Dani Cee: I'm, I think I'm at a PA piece of it. Like I, I've chipped off one of the biggest pieces of the block and now there's other, you know, I keep this list above my, um, computer of the things that I want to accomplish.

And some of 'em are as small as like, you know, [00:26:00] sitting down and eating dinner with my family around the table and cooking them a meal three nights a week. Still not fully there yet because of crazy schedules, but. 

Shannon Russell: It's still a goal. Well, kids keep us on our toes with the schedules. It's literally always changing.

Exactly. What is the next, , progression of your business then? So it's going to be local events and kind of creating this community for people. 

Dani Cee: So one of the gaps that I wanna solve is, um, you know, this was my initial gut instinct, is that as moms we really want to pour into ourselves. We really wanna do things, but we almost always have a kid obligation.

Sometimes it's just simple as finding a babysitter. That, and that could be really hard. So I wanna partner with, um, a daycare here and be able to have kind of like a, a two hour drop-in that's included in the fee for the, the workshop. And these experts that I've been interviewing have been meeting. They can come and do a workshop.

the moms can drop off their kids. They can come and get, you know, fill their cup. We're all gonna have, like, I've, I've met a, some lia and so we're gonna have some food and some wine. So you get that fun while you kind of try [00:27:00] to find your purpose and solving that gap of like, Hey, I wanna come and I wanna change my life, but I either don't have the time or I don't have the childcare.

And we're working with master plan communities in the area so that. You know, it's where you live, work and place. You're not having to go way out of your way in order to participate. So that's, that's the next big thing on the the list. 

Shannon Russell: I think that's fantastic. I was just talking with a neighbor about a networking event next week that we wanna go to, but we don't have the childcare 'cause our husbands are, will be working and we're like, well we can't go and network and help our business because we've got the kids.

And so this is a really amazing idea that I think. You can have form in all different cities around the country eventually. That's the dream. I'm all for it. I love it. So for listeners who really are connecting with you, which I'm sure they all are, where can they find you and follow along and stay in touch?

Dani Cee: Happy life agenda.com, there's no the on that. And then all of my handles are at Happy Life Agenda. I'm on almost all the [00:28:00] socials. , I am learning TikTok. Someone much younger than me is trying to show me so. Still a work in progress. Um, and so you can find me there and then if you wanna head to my website and subscribe to the newsletter, that's where I'll be, you know, telling you about the events and where things are happening.

Yeah, that's, that's where you can find me. 

Shannon Russell: I'm so glad that we're connected and I think it's so exciting that you're so early on in your journey and I'm excited to see where your business, your podcast, everything is going to lead you. I'm just so proud of you for taking that leap and leaving that job and taking all of your experience with you.

Dani Cee: Thank you so much, Shannon. It's been such an honor to meet you and thank you for having me on your show and, and learning more about you and what you have to offer the world too. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Speaker: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to second act, success. To view show notes from this episode, visit second act success.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single [00:29:00] episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell. And this is second act success.